Patriots RB Reveals Thoughts on Josh McDaniels Reunion

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson appears confident that his second tour of duty under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will yield successful results. 

Stevenson, who played under the Pats’ OC during his rookie season, compiled  606 yards on 133 carries with five touchdowns in 2021. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry while maneuvering his way to the top of the positional depth chart. 

With McDaniels back in the Foxborough fold for 2025 and beyond, Stevenson is approaching this season with a bit of added mental amenity.

“I love Josh … I’m very comfortable with him,” Stevenson told reporters follwing Thursday’s practice at Gillette Stadium. “He knows my strengths.”

Despite expressing his comfort under McDaniels, Stevenson still has much work to be done to achieve his goals. The 27-year-old had been absent for much of the team’s offseason workout program due to the passing of his father Robert in March at age 54. He had also been grieving the loss of his childhood friend Brandan Harley during the latter half of 2024.

Given the presence of veteran Antonio Gibson, and explosive second-round draft choice TreVeyon Henderson, some have speculated whether Stevenson’s role could be reduced in the coming season. Yet, the Oklahoma product believes that the variety of styles and strengths within the Pats’ running back room will only bolster the effectiveness of their offense.

"Diversity," Stevenson said of the positional group’s greatest trait. "I think everybody in that running back room can play on all three downs. That's a strength of ours."

While his expectations for success within former coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s outside zone offense were high heading into 2024, Stevenson struggled — due both to injury and ball security. The 6’0” 227-pound back set career highs with seven fumbles — three of which were lost. As a result of his issues with protecting the football, Stevenson was demoted in early October by then-coach Jerod Mayo from his starting role. He finished the season having compiled 801 yards on 207 carries with seven touchdowns in 15 games.

Accordingly, Stevenson has made protecting the football a priority heading into training camp. 

“The biggest thing is ball security … I think that’s obvious,” Stevenson said. “I’m trying to be good with the ball, 100 percent ball security so we can get some wins under our belt.”

Known for his penchant for establishing the run to facilitate play action passes, Stevenson is well-equipped to be a strong fit within McDaniels’ offensive system. He is at his best when blending his physical, powerful running style with his vision and athleticism to make tacklers miss in short-yardage situational runs. He also demonstrates an uncanny knack for utilizing the open field as an available target from both the backfield, as well as the line of scrimmage, each of which was evidenced by his catching three passes during Thursday’s practice session. Stevenson confirmed that he was focused on gaining positive yards on first down, while looking to avoid penalties and negative plays.

Should he continue to demonstrate such prowess during mandatory minicamp, Rhamondre Stevenson may be back in the saddle again in short order.